Araucana thread anyone?

[Quirky]

What haunting photos of the still little ones. So sweet and so sad.

My birds seem to be growing well, but at 5 months(ish), I haven't seen any shenanigans between the cockerel and the hens. I see them doing the pecking order thing, but no amorous activity has been noted by me. Is that normal?

 

[nivtup]

I would think they are close.

I assume she is not laying yet?

 

[ChooksChick]

Does anyone here have any Araucanas that are from Nancy Utterback's stock? I've had a special request for some, and they're very hard to get right now. I don't care so much about tufting or rumplessness, and would prefer to have birds with less white. I am also interested in eggs, if anyone has some available at this time.

Thanks!

 

[ndoles]

I was just wondering if it's normal to have a temp spike of 102 on day 10 of incubation? My temps have been very consistant at 100. I am paronoid about these eggs, since I lost all of the last batch..

Please help!

 

[Stacykins]

Is it a forced air or still air incubator? If it is still air, you shoot for 101ish degrees. If it is forced air, 99.5-100. A short temperature spike of 102 won't be a problem unless you can't get it down. I believe 104 and higher leads to protein denaturing in the egg, and thus embryo death.

 

[Stacykins]

Just finished uploading a few new pictures of a few of the araucanas I hatched a few weeks ago! They are growing up well! I didn't realize that the shutter was blocking a few of them until I uploaded. And the sun was in a bad place. I need a new camera so badly, so I can actually take pictures inside with a flash!

And of course, as soon as I take them out for pictures, they poop. It is like a reaction when they see the camera

First, my favorite! Blue and tufted, but with a tail. I lost the two non tufted blues, one died a few days after hatch and then the other had chronic pasty butt that it just couldn't shake. So that leaves this spunky little one being the only one I have.

Wow, look at that tuft! It has a smaller one on the other size near the ear, but this is just a huge throat tuft!

Not tufted, but rumpless I think. Very bold, I bet this one will be a little roo.

Another non tufted, but also probably rumpless

This one's ear tufts are SO FLUFFY AND BIG for the little one's head! It is so adorable!

Tufted, splash I think?

 

[ndoles]

Quote:
It's still air...

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

All those embryos starting to do The Hokey Pokey raises the temperature for a few days.

I started some eggs at home about four days before the school started the hatching eggs I gave them. I noticed the temperature spike around Day 11, so sent the teacher an email to be on the look out for it. Their incubator was brand new and had the fan. They never got a spike. My incubator was purchased in 2009 and is still air. I think their incubator was "smart enough" to notice the temperature was rising and compensated.

Maybe mine needs a new wafer?

Anyway, it happens. Despite my spike, several of the chicks hatched. It was actually one of my worst hatch rates. The eggs I drove three hours to fetch had terrible fertility. The eggs from my flock were fertile and hatched well. Back of the ole brain says purchased eggs were 25% hatch and home eggs were 90% hatch.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Quote:
Excellent! They look great - fat, strong and healthy. That tufted blue is wonderful and yeah, what a funny tuft on the second chick! Looking good out there.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Boy, did anyone else see the Ann Charles auction of 11 Araucana day old chicks? If you blinked you missed it - went from posted to sold in as much time as it took me to open the e-mail and find the acution. $200.00. WOW.